Up next its booktv is monthly in Depth Program with author and Princeton University professor imani perry. Our books on race and africanamerican history include prophets of the hood, may we forever stand, and the recently published breathe a letter to my sons. Its a letter. Its a series of letters to my son, but of course, its also a letter to the larger world, both about, you know, the reality of the terror and anxiety and worries that comes along with being a parent of black children, and particularly black boys in the United States at this moment, but its also filled with my desire for them to lead a life of beauty and joy and excellence and selfregard. Much of which, i think, one finds a lessons for in an extraordinary tradition that we have to draw from. Where did you come up with the idea to write your sons a letter . Well, so, i actually have written them letters privately for years, but my editor, at beacon press said, is this something youd be interested in doing . In large pa
Professor imani perry, what is the structure of your newest book, brief . Guest well, there are three sections. Fear, fly and fortune. It is a letter, a series of letters to my son but its also a letter to the larger world. Both about the reality of the terror and anxiety and the worry that comes along with being the parent about black children in particular at this moment but its also filled with my desire for them to lead a life of beauty and joy and excellence and self regard, much of which i think one finds the lesson for an extraordinary tradition which we have to draw from. Host where did you come up with the idea to write your sons a letter . Guest i have written some letters privately for years and my editor at beacon press said is this something youd be interested in doing in large part because ado talk about my children all the time and i write posts about them on social media and initially, you know, i think what we both had in mind with something that was probably bit more
Postponed new indepth programs. Instead, we will show you highlights from past programs. First, from november 2018 money. The princeton university, doctor perry is the author of several books putting history of the black National Anthem. Brief, written as a letter to her son. As a portion of that program. People here when you say, i wonder if they hear all white people. They hear white people as individuals as opposed to white men, and i dont think they clung to. They took this identity apart, those people would not sort of have a different history or a body but it would be a different relationship to identity i think it would potentially have as a consequence, a more humane relationship to each other. When i went later when a person an individual can be heaven, it could be a heaven, certainly who was raised by a white man or someone who thinks of figures like for example, john brown or howard or bob who i think are some of the most precious people in the world, its important to me to
As a letter to her son. Here is a portion of that program. People here when you say i wonder if i can be irredeemable they hear all white people and they hear them as individuals as opposed to whiteness for the identity. And with the second paragraph so they dont have a different history or a body but a different relationship to identity. So potentially as a consequence a more humane relationship to each other. So what i got to saying a person or individual so certainly like a white man or someone who thinks of those figures i take for example john brown are some of the most precious people in the world. Its important to me not to have a formulation and this is a struggle i am engaged in. One more question before we move on to your other book books, mothering black boys in america is a special calling. Yes. My mother said to me and i think about it a number of different ways and one is of course all the risk as people talk incessantly that it is difficult and not necessarily helpful ab
Postponed new in depth programs. We are showing highlights from past programs. First from november of 2018, author imani perry, author of several books including a history of the black National Anthem and breeze which is written as a letter to her son. Heres a portion of that program. People here when you see i wonder if people are irredeemable they hear all white people and they hear white people as individuals as opposed to whiteness as an identity so that when i go into the second paragraph, what if we took this identity apart, those people would not have a different history or body, but it would be a different relationship to identity that i think would potentially have as a consequence a more humane relationship to each other. When i went into later in the first paragraph saying a person, an individual can be a heaven, certainly both as someone who was raised by a white man or as someone who thinks of so many figures like, take for example john brown or bob zellner, some of the mo